Making the best of desert conditions

golok

golok

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I guess it would be fair to say that some communities have an advantage when it comes to desert survival. Take, for example, the bedouins. These people have a long history of surviving in the desert.

The desert is their home and they have learnt from their forebears to make the best out of what would be a trying situation.

Their dark complexion gives them a physiological edge under the hot sun and centuries of being acclimatised to the hot conditions.

What about those people who come from cooler climes? Even with technology on their side, I reckon, surviving comfortably in the desert won't be "a piece of cake".

The human body reacts differently to conditions under changing situations.

What advantages can one think of for an individual from a temperate country to survive and may be thrive in the desert?
 
'Cruisers seem to be more reliable than the 'Rover.

No. no, nononono. you RIDE the camel into town....
 
Mad dogs and Englishmen... Or was that India (w/ strong British accent - Injaahh)...

I guess I've always approached climate as a given and just work with it or around it.

I've spent a lot of time in the west and southwest deserts - high, basin and range, Mojave, Sonoran/Upper Sonaran.

Take care. Drink lots. Rest (in shade - yea - right) and force fluids if you start to get to warm/feel sick. EAT. you need the vitamins and minerals. Banannas, V-8, Gatoraide, etc.

GOOD hat. GOOD boots. Know your options.
 
Work from 5am to 9am. Rest from 9am to 4pm. Work from 4pm to 10pm (if you have lights)Drink more water than you think you need. Watch the colour of your urine, if it starts to get dark orange then drink more water.

I did an experiment one time when I was out all day with a work crew in Kununnura in our North West OZ. I only drank from one container, made a note when I had a wee or a poo (I din't go to the extent of weighing these) and then weighed myself at the start and end of the day. Subtracted the fliud intake from the difference between my starting and finishing weight and added the estimated weight of my secretions to come up with my fliud loss for the day - which was 5.8 litres. It's very had to drink this much in a day, which makes it important to replace fliuds at night.

Most peopl I know that work in hot environments also develop an easy, efficient - almost languid way of going about their business.

Part of the aboriginal lore (or songs) that is passed down as an oral history is an incredible detailed map of their country with the locations of all the water sources, some of them in the most unlikely places. They can find water anywhere.
 
Thanks Golok.

Getting back to your original question. I think that is one of the main distinctions between those who come to a hot climate and those who have adapted to it. The volume of sweat and the need to replace water. I have no scientific knowledge of this but I have observed that the locals sweat a lot less and need to drink less than european people in the hot parts of OZ.

I was always amazed when running laps at football training with some of the aboriginal players and noticing that their skin was dry while I was soaked.

Of course the main difference is the surface area to body weight ratio. Which is why the desert nomads of Africa and Australia have such long limbs and thin physiques. Mure surface area to radiate, evaporate and convect the heat from.
 
For the gearheads in the crowd ("Technology is the answer"), you could check out the UV blocking Solarveil clothes and fabrics. http://www.solarveil.com/ I was greatly pleased to see that they sell the fabric itself, not just finished clothes.

The reason that makes me so happy is that I can then make my own approximations on the traditional desert fashion of loosely wrapped robes that allow ventilating air movement through them and a headwrap with enough fluffy layers to insulate the head. I'm also interested in sewing up a bivvy-size shade tent or fabricating a minimal umbrella with this stuff to see how effective it is. Of course, living on the rainy side of Washington state, I should probably be looking at coated nylon or goretex instead. ;)

(edited for clarity)
 
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